Day 30 (part 2): Now that was magical!
Performance number 1 tonight was Pantha du Prince & The Bell Laboratory. The concert was in a hall at the engineering museum. The stage was set with all manner of tuned percussion, including a carillon.
The place was packed ... and boiling. When they started the 6 musicians came out bell ringing, dressed in what could be laboratory coats but not in a sterile or cheesy way, in an intentional and matter of fact way. They played a haunting melodic tune that floated over the audience. Then they retired to their positions on the stage.
As well as tuned percussion there was a full drum kit which I think was augmented with electronic beats. From the soft introduction they slowly built into a magnificent rhythm that was quite unexpected but really infectious. They played all of their various instruments to great effect and managed to whip the audience up into a gyrating mass.
Toward the end of their performance they returned to bell ringing and slowly walked off the stage and through the audience. You could hear the gentle ringing as the wove their way through the crowd. It was quite magical. They made it back to the stage to receive a massive applause. Obviously we clapped enough because they treated us to another energetic and rousing piece before finally ending their set.